There is a new voice in the efforts to make Millcreek better.

“It’s a neighborhood nonprofit that is focused on supporting the rehabilitation of our footprint," Seth Trott, president of the Presque Isle Neighborhood Network, said. 

It was founded to improve areas around Presque Isle. It covers an area from the waterfront south to around 18th St. and Powell Ave. east to Pittsburgh Ave.

“When you think about it, we’ve got four million people driving to Presque Isle every year,” he said. “This is a huge opportunity both for people in the area to beautify the neighborhood, but also for businesses.”

Trott said now is a good time to get started because of all the other work happening in Millcreek, like on West 8th St.

“We’re trying to use that as a catalyst to try to attract additional investment to the area and to beautify it and to make it, really, the place that it should be,” he said. 

They want streets that are walkable and more spaces that are green.

“We would like to have some sort of sense of place. We want to…develop events and things like that,” Trott said. 

But they want to hear from people before they get to work. They have surveys for residents and businesses.

“There is no entity that exists in the whole redevelopment narrative in this area that is representing residents and business owners,” Trott said. 

People’s concerns and ideas will help shape their plan for the future, one that might involve working with the township.

“We hope that the township is open to working with us,” he said. “We would enjoy as close of a relationship as we can with the township.”

The surveys are on this website. They will be open until the end of the month.